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KIAI (93.9 FM) is a commercial radio station that serves the Mason City, Iowa micropolitan area. The station is owned by Alpha Media, through licensee Alpha 3E Licensee LLC, and broadcasts a country music format. KIAI's studios are located on Yorktown Pike in eastern Mason City.

The station's transmitter and broadcast tower are located four miles east of Mason City along 280th Street in rural Cerro Gordo County. According to the Antenna Structure Registration database, the tower is 244 m (801 ft) tall with the FM broadcast antenna mounted at the 229 m (751 ft) level. The calculated Height Above Average Terrain is 241 m (791 ft).

History

B-Y Communications, the owner of KGLO (1300 AM), received approval for a construction permit for an FM station on 93.5 MHz in December 1984. The station received the KNIQ call letters on April 9, 1985. When KNIQ signed on in November 1985, it aired a Top 40/CHR format. KNIQ was sold to James Ingstad Broadcasting in March 1990. On October 4, 1991, KNIQ changed callsigns to KIAI, and the station moved to its current 93.9 FM frequency in 1992. In 1993, KIAI flipped to its current country format.

James Ingstad Broadcasting sold KIAI to Cumulus Broadcasting in 1998. Two years later, Clear Channel Communications bought the station. In 2007, Clear Channel sold the station to Three Eagles Broadcasting. In 2014, KIAI was sold to Digity, LLC. Two years later, Alpha Media acquired Digity, LLC, including KIAI, for $264 million.

In May 2024, morning show host Britt Bailey was let go from the station due to nationwide staffing cuts initiated by Alpha Media. In addition, other on-air staff were relegated to off-air roles, and the station went jockless. On June 5, KIAI began airing programming from Westwood One's "Hot Country" format. KIAI is the North Iowa affiliate of "After Midnite" with Granger Smith, Z-Max Racing Country on Sunday mornings, and Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40 on Sunday evenings.

References

1. "Facility Technical Data for KIAI". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. FCC Ownership database
3. FCC Antenna Structure Registration database
4. "FM station gets FCC's OK," The Globe-Gazette, December 15, 1984.
5. Steve McMahon, "KGLO, KNIQ stations sold for $2.3 million," The Globe-Gazette, April 6, 1990.
6. FCC Callsign History database
7. Kevin Baskins, "Radio Park sold," The Globe-Gazette, February 27, 1998.
8. Public notice required under 47 C.F.R. 73.3580, The Globe-Gazette, August 11, 2000.
9. Dick Johnson, "Radio stations change hands," The Globe-Gazette, April 11, 2007.
10. Dick Johnson, "Radio stations change ownership, locations," The Globe-Gazette, September 7, 2007.
11. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2010, page D-222
12. "Alpha Media/Digity Sale Price & Details". RadioInsight. August 12, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
13. "Alpha Closes Digity Deal". RadioInk. February 25, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
14. Robin McClelland, "Longtime radio voices silenced in North Iowa," The Globe-Gazette, June 1, 2024.
15. Alpha Media Continues to Purge Programming, On-Air Staffs in Midwest Markets
16. Hot Country | Westwood One

External links

• Official website
• Facility details for Facility ID 30115 (KIAI) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• KIAI in Nielsen Audio's FM station database

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• Alpha Media radio stations
• Country radio stations in the United States
• Mason City, Iowa
• Radio stations in Iowa
• Iowa radio station stubs